Finding A Way Out
by TenderWordsForgotten
Summary: Kyuubi and Shukaku.. where will they strike next? said Sasuke. And Naruto...when will I see you again? Then the Uchiha saw something off to the side and gasped... as a mop of blonde hair made its was through the crowd. NaruSasuNaru
1. Chapter 1

**Yo! Here is another fic, my yours truly! I hope that your guys like it! -**

**And I would like to thank Naruto's Wings for doing a kick ass job at beta-ing my fic, THANKS AGAIN!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…-sniff- (beta/note: yeah, but I bet you wish u did, and Sasuke to…. And a hot tub…… and some lube… I think I need to be alone walks off)**

**Chapter 1**

Twenty-three year-old Uchiha Sasuke was a detective working in the Uchiha Police Department, in Tokyo, Japan. People ran all around outside his office, yelling information across the rooms while others rushed to gather it. They were all working to catch two people.

They went by the name of Kyuubi and Shukaku…and they were thieves. Very good ones. They didn't really destroy anything in the process… just took artifacts, Priceless artifacts.

The way it was done still remains unknown. Both got past cameras, laser sensory, and never made a sound. The police didn't even know how they got into the buildings! No windows were open and no ventilations shoots were tampered with. They didn't even know how they could pick up the last artifact. It was a vase… that weighed at least 200 pounds! For all they knew, they just opened the front door and walked out the back!

Sasuke swirled around in his chair to look out the window. Rubbing his temples, Sasuke thought long and hard about what he had heard about the duo.

Kyuubi had gotten past Inuzuka Kiba, three times, in New York. Someone that was well known for **never** letting anyone escape his nose. The man had even gotten past the American's dog. To accomplish such a feat was impossible… Unless he had no scent, which everybody did. So how did he do it?

Then there was Shukaku. He had gotten past Hyuuga Neji, two times in London…and that too had **never** happened. Neji always knew what his prey was going to do next,(how he did that, Sasuke had no clue), so he always cornered them. The Hyuuga had manage to see the figure of the thief on the last theft, but that was it. Shukaku was at least 5'8", from what he had heard. The fact that there was also no scent and another precious artifact was stolen, gave the idea that the two were working together.

Plus, Kyuubi and Shukaku always left a card in advanced, that let police know when and where, they were about to strike next. And that pissed the detective off. To them… it seemed like it was a game, and they were obviously winning against the police force.

'_This all happened in just two months… If this keeps up, they'll have millions and millions of dollars in their possession.'_

Sasuke sighed for what seemed like the twentieth time today. His job was becoming more stressful with each time the two manage to get away.

The brunette decided to call it a day. He wasn't getting anywhere with this, besides, if he stayed any longer, he's would be pretty much asking for a headache. Grabbing his leather coat, he walked out and locked the office up behind him.

- - - -

Sasuke's footsteps echoed throughout the building's parking lot. It was dark…and he was alone. When the brunette came to his car, he turned off the alarm and sat on the driver's side.

He ran his hands through his thick hair and adjusted his mirror out of habit. As he looked in his mirror, something moved.

Acting purely on instinct alone, he ducked just in time to miss a rock being thrown through his back window.

Taking his gun out **(A/N: wow, he pulled that out if his ass B/N: I wander what else he has up there… sneeks a peek OMG! IT'S ATLANTIS!)** and opening the door, Sasuke pointed the weapon in every direction that he looked. No one was there.

'_Kids maybe?… well it wouldn't be the first time..'_

Putting his gun down, he looked into his car unconsciously and found the rock had landed on his dash board. On closer inspection, there seemed to be a piece of paper tied around it.

'_Well I guess that option is out of the window…t his definitely isn't kids.'_ he thought as he unfolded and read the note.

- - -

**Sasuke**

**When you meet _him_, don't let his looks deceive you. There is more to it than meets the eye. I will come in contact with you again, until then…stay safe.**

- - -

'_Stay safe? Stay safe?! How the hell am I suppose to stay safe if you are throwing random things through my windows?!?! And who the fuck is HIM?'_

---------------------------------------------------

**Else where…**

---------------------------------------------------

Two men stood in a London air port with their luggage on the ground. One had blond hair, blue eyes, tanned, and stood about 5'10". The other was a red head, turquoise eyes, pale, and was 5'8".

People walking by gave the pair an odd look. They were an odd pair, and their looks clashed with each other greatly. The blonde was dressed more casually. He was dressed in a red shirt that said "Fuck Off" and wore navy blue jeans. The red head, who was so close he was nearly touching the blonde, wore darker colors. His black clothing made his skin look nearly paper white, and the black eye liner made his turquoise eyes stand out. But in spite of all that, they seemed to be standing really close to one another, as if relishing the moment together.

"_Flight 28 will be boarding shortly, please report to lane 7, Flight 28 will be boarding shortly, please report to lane 7."_ A voice spoke over the intercom.

"Well, its time for you to leave… Gaara." the blond smiled, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Gaara looked up at the blond, there was slight hesitation in his eyes. "Are you sure you don't want to wait? There isn't a time limit on this one… I can still go with you, and we can do the heist in Tokyo together."

Gaara was rewarded with a laugh, "Gaara, you worry waaaay to much. I've already told you, I've got this one in the bag." he smiled, hoping that it would reassure his friend, and cease his worries. It did not have the desired affect.

"Don't smile as if everything is alright, Naruto… you going back to Tokyo… where the Uchiha is. Things have always been difficult when it came to him… even more now since his current occupation is a detective." Gaara eyes slanted, showing that he was frowning.

"Heh, yeah… but what are the odds that I'll meet up with the bastard? Plus, I haven't seen him since high school and Tokyo **is** the biggest city in the world."

Sighing, Gaara pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know that! I just don't feel right about this."

"Hey, hey… you don't need to concern yourself about lil' o' me. I'm a big boy, I can take care of myself!" Naruto raised his arm, while the other patted his bicep, while he winked at the shorter man.

The blond continued, "All you have to worry about is your job. Where did **he** say the artifact was… Egypt right? Aren't your siblings there too?"

Gaara absently nodded, and then glared at Naruto. "Don't change the subject! We're talking about you here."

Naruto gave him a blank look that just screamed 'Just drop it already'. Gaara closed his eyes in a moment of desperation but knew that he wouldn't be able to sway Naruto's decision. "Just, be careful…and don't rush things too much. Remember, the early bird may get the worm-"

"-But the second mouse gets the cheese. Yes, Gaara I know… I'm more worried about you though. The London detective saw you. Don't let it happen again." Naruto chastised jokingly.

If anything, Gaara pouted slightly. "He was a tricky one. Every time I tried to get away, he was always in step with me. I almost wanted to kill him." he grumbled.

Naruto laughed heartedly, "Yeah? When you didn't reach mid-point on time, I'd thought I'd have to go and save you. Heh heh."

"Shut it Uzumaki. I had everything under control." Gaara said, turning away from him with his arms crossed.

The blond laughed again, and stepped forward to hug the red head from behind. Naruto closed his eyes and whispered in his ear, "But in all seriousness… please be careful."

"Hn. Ok, I will if you will…brother." Naruto smiled at this. Whenever Gaara called him "brother" he knew, the red head meant whatever he had said.

"_Last call for Flight 28, I repeat last call for Flight 28. Please report to Lane 7."_

Gaara felt Naruto squeeze him, before the warmth of his body disappeared. Turning around, Gaara saw Naruto give him a two finger salute. Nodding, Gaara picked up his things and did a double take when he looked at the blonde. Gaara's eyes narrowed, and he poked his own cheeks as an indication; Naruto in turned gasped and felt his own. He felt the small indentions on his skin growing deep. One word ran through is head, _'… Kyuubi.'_

"Take your meds, Naruto."

Naruto dug in his pocket for the bottle, opening it, and popping one in his mouth and swallowing it. In those seconds, Gaara had turned and walked away, without a second glance.

'_The pills… their meant to… to keep this **demon** in me.. in check. The marks on my face show up, and when they do; Kyuubi has a great influence on me; Smell, sight, and hearing, strength and abilities, hence the marks. The thief 'Kyuubi' has the same marks, so I can't be caught having them.' _Naruto sighed, '_Gaara doesn't have that problem…the only side affect is that he can't sleep or Shukaku will take over his body. But, when he is around me… Gaara can sleep all he wants because his **demon** calms down when he is near Kyuubi.'_

The blonde watched as Gaara disappeared around the corner, and frowned when remembering what was worrying Gaara. _'Honestly, I don't know if everything will be ok.'_ Naruto picked up his suitcase and turned to find a seat.

Naruto still had to wait for his flight… to Tokyo. _'I know from experience that I am always bound to spot the bastard… even if he doesn't see me.'_ Sitting down, Naruto waited for his flight…even though it would take another hour.

----------------------------------------------------

**Around thirty minutes later…**

----------------------------------------------------

Naruto was just about to doze off, (with his head at an angle and mouth wide open) when his nose caught something. Naruto's eyes peeked open, and scanned the area and after a few looks around, Naruto found what had caught his nose. The London detective.

'_Hmm, what are the chances of me finding you here?'_ he thought, and in the back of his mind, Kyuubi started to stir, _'I might need the fox awake for this one.'_

The man was currently talking on his cell phone, having a rather loud conversation with who ever was on the other end. Naruto stood up with his suitcase and walked closer. His sense of hearing picked up as he walked closer.

"Look I know what I'm talking about! They're going to hit each continent, and take its most valuable possessions. First is was New York in the United States, then it was London. I'm willing to bet that they are next target is either going to be Egypt, Japan, or Australia!" There was a small pause. "I'm going to Tokyo, right now. I know someone over there in the police department, and I will relay as much information as I can to him… I left a message on his answering machine, so he'll know that I'm coming."

Naruto whistled, _'Wow, this guy is good. If he says anything else that is deemed threatening…I might have to make him postpone his flight.'_

"…I think that Shukaku had red hair…well, I'm not quite sure. It was dark."

'_I think I just jinxed myself.'_ he then looked upward, _'Why, oh why do you torture me? What did I ever do?…well besides stealing valuable things.'_ Naruto then looked down and saw that the London detective was looking right at him, with a weird look in his eye. _'Hmm? Am I giving anything away?'_ Kyuubi, being fully awake, only chuckled.

But instead of looking away, Naruto locked eyes with the British. _'I'm going to have to do something about this guy…but what?'_ he thought as he continued to lock eyes with the man, who was still staring at him and talking on the phone.

"…hold on Lee…" The brunette took the phone away from his mouth, but did not hang up.

Naruto turned his body to face the man, as if to acknowledge that he was aware of him. The detective's voice soon broke the silence between the two.

"Who are you… and what do you want?" the frown on the man's face deepen when Naruto smiled. _'I think I've found a way to deal with this guy without being connected to Shukaku. Heh, this might be fun.'_

Quickly cutting to the chase Naruto mouthed, "_Hang up the phone._" and by the surprise expression on the man's face, he knew that he had gotten the message. The British man then concluded his talk on the phone.

"Lee, it looks like I'm going to have let you go…no, there isn't anything wrong… not at the moment… if I don't call you back, then you'll have something to worry about." The last bit was whispered, but Naruto (having abnormal hearing) caught every word of it, and the cell phone was abruptly closed.

Naruto glanced at his wrist watch and saw that he had at least twenty-minutes to deal with this guy. _'Heh, no sweat. Plus, it's a good thing Gaara had already left when his guy showed up. I don't know what would have happened if he knew he was here.'_

"You didn't have to hang up on him so fast. I have patience, you know." Naruto said, leaning up against the wall that he had his back to, acting as if he didn't hear the last part of the conversation.

"Well, yes…but if you have been listening to my conversation long, then you might have something interesting to say. As you can see, I'm very eager to find out anything on Shukaku... or Kyuubi." the man took a step closer to the blond, and gave him a look in inquiry.

"Oh really?" Naruto then reached his hand out and gave a fake name. "My name is Takashi."

The detective looked at his hand with disgust and slapped it without a moment's hesitation. "Cut the crap, what do you know?" he demanded now.

Naruto had expected this, and pushed against the wall to stand straight, while the guy in front of him to a step back. Naruto smirked, picked up his bag and started to walk away. Behind his back he could hear the man stutter. "H-hey! Wait! W-where are you going?! Aren't you going to say anything?!" and with that, Naruto started running.

'_C'mon… chase after me. I need to get you alone, and hopefully you'll be too blind to see that. Hopefully you're so caught up with your anger with Shukaku, that you won't notice. So follow me!'_

Soon after, his ears picked up the sound of foot steps following his. _'Sweet, just a little further eye boy. Follow the nice lil' fox, like a good detective.'_

The chase eventually led them to the outside of the air port were people usually didn't go. Naruto glancing at his watch again, saw that he had fifteen more minutes.

The brunette in front of him was panting slightly and was about to speak, but Naruto beat him to it, "You want to know something?" Naruto asked and threw his bag down.

"Yes, isn't that the reason why I chased after you? Now who are you!?" Neji shouted the end part.

Naruto chuckled, "But I already told you. My name is Takashi and yours is Neji Hyuuga. Your quite the detective."

Neji's white eyes widened some, "What do I have to do to get you to talk?"

The blonde smirked, "Nothing."

Neji was then caught off guard when the man before him suddenly disappeared.

Looking around his frantically, Neji saw nothing…only a bag on the floor that was left by 'Takashi'. Neji cautiously stepped forward and reached out for it. But as soon as he was about to touch it, his vision became blurry. His body went stiff and could no longer move it, and he fell to the ground. Afterwards, a figure leaned over his body, and Neji suddenly felt vulnerable. _'What happened?! Why can't I move?! Who is this guy?!'_

"Nothing," Naruto repeated. "cause I never said that I **knew** anything."

Neji frowned, "What? Your lying! I know you know someth-"

"Sorry." the man spoke, and Neji then felt hands roaming over his thighs. Neji was then flipped over and a large hand slipped into his font pocket and pulled out his wallet. The brunette's visions was still blurry, but he could see the out line of the item in the man's hand.

Naruto whistled, and how thick the wallet was, "I'm a mugger." and he was answered with a gasp. "I knew who you were and you looked like you were loaded with dough, so I decided to get some extra cash for the trip."

The fox squatted next to the detective's body and continued to speak, "Heh, you detectives are easy. Your always so nosy and tend to make assumptions. Next time, you'll listen to what people say…it's a shame though. I thought you'd be more of a challenge, I guess you're a lil' on edge about Shukaku giving you the slip. Heh… funny." and Naruto ended the conversation with a snapped his fingers and the detective was suddenly out cold.

Naruto reached over and picked up his bag. _'He won't remember anything… well for **now** he won't. He'll probably remember around three days from now… it's a good head start, for me.'_ he thought and stood up and stuffed the man's wallet in his pocket.

Naruto walked back towards the airport building, leaving Neji laying there, and as he made it through the doors, one question ran through his mind.

'_I wonder who he was going to meet in Tokyo… hmm…'_

-----------------------------------------

**Back in Tokyo…**

-----------------------------------------

Sasuke closed the door to his apartment, and tossed his jacket on the couch near by. It had been a long night, especially since his window had been broken, he had to go back up and report for property damage. The police insurance would cover the bill since his car was on the property.

As he made his way toward the kitchen, he pushed the play button on his answering machine.

**Message One;**

"**Sasuke, its Neji. I'm getting on a plane and heading towards Tokyo. I have a feeling that Tokyo is the next place that Shukaku or Kyuubi will be-"**

Sasuke's head popped out from the kitchen, and was going to open his mouth to say something, when-

"**-and don't even say anything Uchiha! I know what I'm talking about, so deal with it!"**

Sasuke glared at the machine, and fill the mug up with water and placed it on the microwave.

"**I'll be departing soon, so I'll call you when I get there. I'll stay in town and help you with the investigation until one of them leaves their note. Until then Sasuke."**

**Message End**

When the microwave's timer rang the brunette pulled the mug out and dipped the tea bag in the hot water and walked into the living room. Deleting the message, and sitting down, Sasuke grabbed the remote, near by and sipped at his hot tea.

Turning the TV on, Sasuke mulled over what Neji had said, _'How did Neji come to that assumption? He sounded really irritated, could this case be getting to him?… no, Neji has a strong mind, while this case his frustrating, Neji has always been calm and composed… I'm sure he's doing fine right now.'_

The news was on right now, and the two thieves were obviously the top story. Sasuke, feeling content with the warm tea settling in his stomach, didn't even feel bother to change the channel. He had his tea… it was like crack for an addict. Nothing could possible bring him down from his mood.

Sasuke, absently placed the mug on the table beside his and in the process, knocked something over. Sasuke already knew what it was without looking, and scrambled to pick it up.

It was an old picture frame holding something very precious to him. Turning is upward to check for damage, Sasuke's eyes went considerably softer. _'… Naruto.'_

The picture consist of two people. Him and the blonde. Naruto had jumped and clung to Sasuke back, and grinned real big for the camera, while Sasuke was still trying to regain his balance. It was a horrible picture, really. One that Sasuke wouldn't have been too fond of if it wasn't for the blonde in the picture.

"_Sasuke… "_

He could still hear his voice from that day. The day he left Sasuke here in Tokyo, never to be seen again.

"_I'm sorry, but…I'm leaving." a small blonde said at his doorstep late one night._

Sasuke's grip in the frame tighten, as his real nightmare flash once more before his eyes.

"_Leaving? Why? Where are you going?!" the younger version of himself grasped the blonde's shoulders in desperation._

"_I don't know where I'm going…" Naruto's blue eyes looked deep into his, and Sasuke was rendered speechless._

"_I've found him Sasuke…and he wants me to live with him. How could I say no…I finally found someone who is willing to care for me! Please! Understand what I'm trying to say to you!!" Naruto shouted._

Sasuke closed his eyes, trying to block out the flashback, but he could still hear it all. Every word.

"_Naruto…so your going to leave…leave me? We've been friends for years! Your sixteen! Do you plan to stay with him forever?!" the anger was evident in his voice._

"_Sasuke..I thought that at least you would understand. We are both orphans." said the quiet voice._

"_Yeah, but I'm not looking for someone who dropped me off, just because they couldn't handle their responsibilities!"_

"_That's because you weren't dropped off!"_

Sasuke clutched the frame closer to his body, preparing for what was about to be said.

"_Your parents were killed, Uchiha! You at least remember, their faces! I don't have anything! Not a picture, or anyone to tell me about them!!"_

"_Naruto…" the voice seemed to understand that he had crossed the line._

"_Someone wants to take care of me, Sasuke. I'm not as alone as I thought I was… if you had one last family member out there, would you sit on **your** ass and do nothing?!"_

"…"

"_That's what I thought…I'm leaving in an hour, bastard."_

Sasuke remembered his thoughts, right then and there. '_An hour? That's not enough time to convince him to stay.'_

The brunette opened his eyes just in time to see his younger self, hurl himself at his best friend. The blonde in turn was shocked. And he didn't blame him, he never did those things back then. And still didn't.

"_Please…don't go." he mumbled._

_Naruto just gasped and after a moment, returned the awkward hug._

"_I… I don't know what I'll do… please don't leave me, Naruto." He pleaded._

_But Naruto didn't say anything. The only thing that the blonde did was squeeze tighter, and this scared Sasuke. It was just like saying "_I'm sorry."_ and that meant that the person in his arms, was leaving regardless._

Sasuke watched the scene, and felt a lump form in his throat. He knew the outcome, and he couldn't do anything about it.

_The blonde boy gently tried to pull away from him, but he held on. Naruto renewed his efforts, after a moment but Sasuke clung to him as if the world depended on it._

"_Sasuke… c'mon. Let go. Your going to have to anyway." the voice had a little humor in it. But Sasuke didn't see anything funny about this._

"_No… I don't want to let you go."_

"_Heh, I would have never known that you'd react this way, bastard. Are you in love with me?" he was now trying to tease him into letting him go. It didn't work._

"_Shut up, dobe." and if possible he squeezed tighter._

"_Ok…now your just trying to kill me. I can't breathe, bastard! Loosen up some."_

Sasuke gritted his teeth, thinking _'_There's my mistake.'

_He watch as the blonde jerked out of his grasped as soon as he loosened it, and before his knew it, Naruto was standing by the door. _

"_I'm sorry Sasuke. But I have to go, don't worry… I'll keep in touch. Its not like you'll never see me again." And he was gone. Just like that. He's never seen or heard from him since._

Sasuke watched himself fall to the ground, and sob silently. He couldn't watch anymore. It was all still too much.

Sasuke placed the frame back on the table to the side. Naruto had left when he was sixteen. And seven years had passed and he still couldn't get him out of his mind. After time, Sasuke came to the conclusion that Naruto was more than a friend. Yes. He was in love with some one he hadn't seen for seven years…he loved Uzumaki Naruto.

Sighing, Sasuke found that it was time for bed. Turning the TV off, Sasuke went to his bedroom and stripped into his boxers. Laying in bed, Sasuke looked up at his ceiling, and thought to himself.

'_If I ever see you again, Naruto…I won't let go of you. You'll be stuck with me, and you won't have anything to say about it. You won't **ever** leave my sight again.'_

------------------------------------------

**Elsewhere…**

------------------------------------------

Neji Hyuuga groaned and sat up, from the cold and unforgiving ground. He ached everywhere, and nothing looked familiar to him. All he knew was that it was cold, and he couldn't remember how he had gotten there.

"Where am I?"

TBC

4363 Words

**Well, that's it for that. I hope that I will get a lot of response from this one, hehe. I know that I'm going to enjoy doing this one as much as the other one!**

**Anyways, please review!! -**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…-pouts in the corner of the room-**

**Chapter 2**

Rock Lee was having a crisis. Last night, while having a very a interesting conversation with a passionate Hyuuga, something happened… he knew it. What he didn't know was, what. Neji had hurriedly ended his phone call, (telling him that he'd call back) after something had caught his attention on his end.

At first, he didn't think much of it, but when he recalled Neji's last words, he started to panic as the minutes went by. Lee had waited, and waited, and waited, and Neji still hadn't called. Hell even a text message would have calmed his nerves.

So here he was about to leave his house that morning to go to Neji's, when suddenly his doorbell rang. Raising a (a/n: HUGE) (b/n: fluffy) eyebrow, he adjusted his jacket and opened to door. And there stood the person who he had spent the past night losing sleep over (b/n: … was that from worry or something else O.-) , looking at him with a look of indifference. The brunette pushed past him and sat down in his living room, completely ignoring Lee's frantic questions.

After at least ten minutes of questioning, Neji interrupted him. "Lee, just shut up and listen to me."

So he did, and waited for him to speak.

And he waited…

And waited…

And waited some more.

Lee was just about to explode from the anticipation when Neji finally decided to speak up.

"Lee, I can't remember anything from last night."

Yup, Lee was definitely having a crisis…

'_He can't remember?… oh god… THE ALIENS HAVE RETURNED AND NOW THEY ARE AFTER NEJI!!!' (b/n: … and apparently last time they were after your BRAIN… do you think they might have succeeded?)_

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

**In Japan…**

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

'_It's chilly…'_ Naruto thought as he secured his beanie over his head. The clouds covered the sky and the wind blew harshly, it was looking like it might rain later on in the day.

The blonde was currently walking around the run down streets of Tokyo. He didn't want to stay in his hotel room, it was way too quiet. Even without Gaara there. Plus, the feeling of being back here- was like a dream. _'This is the place where I grew up,'_ he thought, trying to tell himself that this was real. _'So many memories'_

The blonde looked across the street to see what was left of his favorite ramen shack. _'Well, I shouldn't have expected Ichiraku to still be there, it **has** been a while.'_ Naruto took a step off of the curb and walked towards the once warm place.

There were boards covering the entrance, some of which were pulled off and Naruto was sure that maybe someone had used it to sleep in. The outside walls had graffiti covering it, and there seemed to be bullet holes covering the left side. Naruto's heart sunk, _'Oh god, I hope the old man and his daughter weren't in there when that happened._'

Naruto sighed sadly and touched the building. He knew that this could've happened any time, hell even the old man knew it. Opening a ramen place in the dumps of Tokyo was very risky. You could get robbed in a blink of an eye, and you possibly get killed in the process, but… he really hoped that the former owners where alive and well. They were good people. The old man and his daughter had sometimes found Naruto and gave him something to eat when he didn't have enough money. And for that he was deeply grateful.

A faint foreign spark crackled through the air and sent shudders into his body. Naruto looked up the familiar, yet foreign streets. The streets were deserted; Not a soul wandering around. If so, why did something feel… out of place?

Abandoning his thoughts and walking away from the building, Naruto decided to look for something else. _'I wonder if it is still there… '_

----------------------------------------------------------------

**Elsewhere…**

_**-----------------------------------------------------**_

'_Something is wrong.'_ Sasuke thought as he sat at his work desk.

Neji hadn't called his morning. When he says he going to do something, he usually does it. _'Either Neji's flight was delayed or he just changed his mind… But if it was the ladder, what could of changed it?'_

The brunette rested his chin on his hand, _'I'll give it a day, if he doesn't call or arrive here in Tokyo…I'll call him.'_

"Uchiha-san."

Sasuke looked up and saw Shino standing in his doorway. He was so deep in thought, that he hadn't noticed the man walk in. He had known Shino since childhood, along with Naruto, Sakura, Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji. They occasionally got together and caught up with lost time… but it was happening less and less every time.

"What is it, Aburame-san?"

Shino stepped forward and placed an envelope in his desk. "A man wearing a blue mask asked me to deliver this to you, he was kind of creepy."

Sasuke's eye brow rose at the mask part; and with his curiosity at its peak he reached forward and picked up the item. It was just a simple, small, white envelope with his sir-name on it. Who would be sending him messages… unless, _'Could it be?'_

"What did he look like? Hair? Eye color? Anything?"

"I couldn't tell his hair color, he had it covered with something. And he left so fast, I couldn't see an eye color. Sorry." He didn't really mean it.

Sasuke was looking at the envelope in his hand, "Its fine. Arigato."

Sasuke hurriedly dismissed Shino, and tore the covering. Inside was a simple piece of paper.

**- - - - **

**Sasuke,**

**He is here, be careful.**

_- - - - _

'_It's the same guy. Why am I getting these warnings?'_ Sasuke inquired. _'And who is **he**? How is the word **he** suppose to help? Other than the fact that I'm looking out for a male!'_ The Uchiha growled in frustration.

Sasuke turned the note over (out of habit) to see the back and saw another message.

- - - -

**P.s. burn this after your done.**

- - - -

Sasuke sweat dropped when he read this, but never the less pull out a lighter and lit it on fire. As the letter on the paper was slowly disappearing, the Uchiha held the tip of the paper.

Sasuke frowned, "If he wants me burn this," he said out loud, "I can guess that he doesn't want anyone to know that he's talking to me. And if he doesn't want anyone to know… does that really mean someone is after me? Or is this mystery man apart of something big, something secret? Maybe someone is after him too, the same person that is after me? Kami, there are a lot of things that I don't know. I shouldn't jump to conclu-_ITIA!_"

Sasuke wasn't paying attention to the paper in his hand; thus, burning himself while he thinking. And out of reflex he dropped the paper on his desk, and on other things that could catch fire easily (AKA; other papers) and in turn caught them on fire.

Poor Sasuke was left to put out the fire out on his own as it slowly spread, in spite of his efforts.

---------------------------------------------------------------

**Back with Naruto…**

---------------------------------------------------------------

The house that stood before him looked like shit. Paint chippings was what was left of the color of the house. The house's windows were smashed in, adding on to the abandoned look the small building possessed.

Even the "For Sale" sign that stood in the yard looked like crap. The number was scraped off of it, therefore depleting the purpose of having it there.

Naruto closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. _'My old home…it looks even worst than it did when **I** lived in it.'_

Opening his eyes again, he took a step forward and walked toward to front door. Naruto nearly fell through the gaping hole in the floor, when he opened it. It was obvious that no one had lived in the house for a very, very long time. _'Well, I'm not going any further. With my luck, the floor will cave in.'_

But before he could close the door, Naruto felt Kyuubi stir in the back of his mind and the same crackle, only stronger, fly through the air. Naruto knew something was up. The fox only awoke on its own when something intriguing was near, or he felt threatened and that spark was more than threatening.

The tanned man stretched his senses out; sight… nothing. Smell… couldn't pick anything up. Too much moister in the air. Hearing… '_There… someone on the roof of the house.' _With his sense of hearing growing stronger, he could hear s steady heart beat, fabric being rubbed against fabric, and faint breathing.

'_This guy… how long has he been there watching me?'_

Naruto ignored the presence, closed the door and began to walk away from the house. He had to remain oblivious. He had to remember what he was told.

---------

"_Naruto, Gaara… stay on guard when you two are out on your own."_

_Gaara scoffed and folded his arms across his chest. "You make it sound like we're teenagers. We are grown men, we can handle ourselves. Hmph, well, at least **I** can, I don't need to be coddled."_

_The man smiled, and suddenly disappeared only to reappear behind the red head. Gaara's eyes widen in initial shock, but it was quickly replaced with a scowl. Naruto snickered at his friends dismay._

"_That's how easy it is Gaara. You'd be dead and your corpse would be in there hands, and you know that with certain things, they could find out that you had Shukaku." the taller man turned and looked at Naruto, "and since you and Naruto are practically joined at the hip, they could easily guess that Naruto has Kyuubi."_

_The blonde frowned, "Who is 'they'?"_

_The man smiled, his eyes twinkled as he answered. "ANBU."_

--------

Naruto was snapped out of his thoughts when Kyuubi started to growl. The presence of the man behind him was gone, and was replaced with the one standing in front on him.

The figure before him was lithe and muscular. On the man's face, donned a porcelain mask in a shape of a dog, and silver/grey hair flopped to one side of his had. He was wearing all black clothing that clung slightly to his perfect body. **(A/N: Hint! Can you guess who it is?)**

Naruto had never seen an ANBU before… but he knew how one moved. _'Just like **him**.'_ They were swift and agile. They were quiet, yet they were loud enough to let you know that they were there; leaving you to fear of there next unknown move.

ANBU were the perfect killing machines. But…

'_Do all ANBU come out like this in public?'_ Naruto thought as he looked up and down the street, finding it completely empty. _'This can't be a coincidence.' _

An eerie silence loomed over the two and Naruto racked his for something to say. When he was about to open his mouth, the man in front of him spoke.

"I know."

Now, that could be misconstrued in many ways. But in Naruto's current situation, he knew he was in deep shit now. This man was an ANBU and he was the Kyuubi (in a sense). ANBU were after him, and one was standing right in front of him. So…

'_Dammit! They were already on to me that fast?!' _He was panicking on the inside, but outwardly Naruto remained indifferent. It was his best choice.

ANBUs were trained to be human lie detectors. They watch body language, the change in octaves in your voice, and how you responded to everything. This man was from a secret organization that protected and terminated anything that threatened society. And they were damn good at there jobs, or so he was told…

"Hmm, a quiet one eh? Well, that's fine. I'm use to dealing with people like you." Alarmed, Naruto took a step back without thinking. _'Shit! Get a hold of yourself Naruto! Don't let this guy intimidate you!'_

The blonde heard a muffled chuckle from behind the white mask, "It's was only a matter of time before you were tracked down, Kyuubi." he popped his neck and knuckles.

'_Dammit, dammit, dammit! What do I do now?!'_

Naruto was then answered in a form of a growl, in the depths of his mind. _'Kyuubi… fine.'_

The blonde closed his eyes, as he let his body willingly undergo the transformation. _'I'll let you handle this, but… don't do anything I wouldn't do.'_

His body grew hot, as his muscles mass increased, his blunt nails grew sharp, his skin color was more bronze and the three impressions on his cheeks appeared, darkly, through the being repress by the meds. Naruto felt his awareness fade slightly as he watched everything unfold through Kyuubi's blood red eyes.

Naruto's hair even turned red, not red like Gaara's, but still red. Just a hint of blond with red. But the man in front of him would never know that, cause his beanie was still in place throughout the whole ordeal.

"So, Your use to… dealing with **people** like me, eh?" Kyuubi's deep primitive voice tore through his throat.

The ANBU's cursed was followed by a series of hand seals _"Kanashibari no Jutsu!"_

The blonde's body seized up, "Feh, you think that a simple paralyzing jutsu can contain me?! You are sadly mistaken!"

Kyuubi pushed off the ground and leaped into the air, _"Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!"_

Kyuubi breathed a huge bird of fire and it flew at the man below him at incredible speed. Everything in its bath was set a blazed and disappeared.

Kyuubi landed on the ground with a soft thud, "Did I get him?"

"_Habataku Chidori!"_

A bright blue light along with a horrible screeching sound invaded the demon's senses. He just barely avoided the deadly blow with a deft turn to the left, but the ANBU was faster and moved with the fox; just barely singeing his arm deeply.

"Fuck." Kyuubi held the wounded arm.

'_Kyuubi! Watch it!'_

"Shut up, I don't need you to tell me what to do!" the demon mumbled, and dodged another blow.

'_Just get out of here! There could be others-'_

"Shut it! I will **not** run away!" Kyuubi yelled and punched the ground beneath him. His opponent jumped as the force of the punch broke the moist clunky dirt beneath him.

'_Such incredible strength…'_

Kyuubi smirked, "Your ass is mine now! _Katon: Zukokku_"

A huge wave of fire flew at him in thin air, leaving him no where to run. An anguish cry filled the air, along with fragrance of burnt skin. The body hit the ground with a sickening thud, and didn't move.

Kyuubi nudged the body with his foot and brought a pained gasp out of the man's lips.

"Hmm, now what am I gonna do with you?" the demon's blood red eyes sparkled maliciously

------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Else where, a few hours later…**

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sasuke cursed for the umpteenth time that day.

He couldn't put our the fire fast enough, so all the documents that needed to be signed were burnt to a crisp. Thus, giving him nothing to do for the day… it would take a day to get all the copies back on his desk, and Sasuke didn't want to be in his office all day. So he decided to go to his favorite mini bar, and waste his day there.

It was Friday, and the sun was beginning to set. But, as the light of day disappeared, more people emerged from their hide a ways to live out the night. Hence the crowded side walks.

Sasuke hated crowds, that much hadn't changed since his childhood. The only person he'd let close to him was Naruto, and since the blonde seemed to disappear off the face of the earth, he was alone. For six agonizing years, he had been haunted by cold solitude. Sasuke sighed, _'I need to stop brooding. I need to stop thinking about him so much… it'll get me nowhere.'_

The Uchiha walked up to his favorite bar, opened the door and walked in. He had often gotten tipsy when he came here, but it relieved much unwanted stress so he couldn't complain (not that he did).

The place was empty, good. He **really** didn't feel like dealing with people today… except the bar tender, he could deal with him.

He sat at the bar and ordered Asahi (Just a type of Japanese beer). He had nearly half the day left, and he knew he couldn't spend the whole time here in the bar.

He figured he could spend two hours here, then just go home with a nice buzz. Yeah, that sounded good.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Over two hours later…**

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ok, so he stayed thirty minutes over than what he's planned. And he drank waaaay more than he thought he would. _'I'm gonna have a hell of a time getting home.'_

There were less people in the bar when he initially arrived there, and now there seemed to be at least twenty here. Some sitting beside him, others playing pool… he needed to get out of here.

Sasuke tried to stand up, but found that the stool he was sitting on, came up and met him again. _'Stupid stool…'_ he thought as he glared at nothing.

"Ano… sir? Do you need any help?"

Sasuke looked up and saw it was the bar tender talking to him… but why was he talking so loud? Sasuke swiped his ear once with his finger, "Iie, I'll be fine." The Uchiha succeeded in getting up this time.

He staggered towards the exit, "The subway station is across the street…" Sasuke mumbled, and stood in front of the cross walk, along with a thirty other people.

It was a Friday night, and everyone seemed to emerge from no where. The nights were always different than the day, here in Tokyo. Strange.

"When is this light going to change?" Sasuke mumbled with droopy eyes. **(A/N: I don't know about you guys… but a drug Sasuke practically begs to be ravished! Where is Naruto when you need him?!)(b/n: why Naruto? Why not me? -dives for Sasuke-)**

Everything seemed to spin around him, and every person appeared to be smothering him. He felt like he couldn't breathe!

Then, without knowing it, Sasuke stepped off the curb and into the street. A bright light flashed in his eyes, and car tires screeched in an attempt to stop.

All Sasuke could do was stand there and watch.

TBC

3058 Words

_**JUTSU!**_

Kanashibari no Jutsu - Temporary Paralysis Technique

Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu - Fire Style: Phoenix Immortal Fire

Habataku Chidori - Flapping One Thousand Birds

Katon: Zukokku - Fire Style: Intense Pain**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…-pouts in the corner of the room-**


End file.
